High performance of multi-layered alternating Ni-Fe-P and Co-P films for hydrogen evolution

Judiciously engineering the electrocatalysts is attractive and challenging to exploit materials with high electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction. Herein, we successfully perform the interface engineering by alternately depositing Co-P and Ni-Fe-P films on nickel foam, via facile electroless plating and de-alloying process. This work shows that there is a significant effect of de-alloying process on alloy growth. The electronic structure of layered alloys is improved by interface engineering. The multilayer strategy significantly promotes the charge transfer. Importantly, the Co-P/Ni-Fe-P/NF electrode fabricated by interface engineering exhibits excellent electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity with an overpotential of 43.4 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and long-term durability for 72 h in alkaline medium (1 mol L-1 KOH). The innovative strategy of this work may aid further development of commercial electrocatalysts. (c) 2020, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

By judiciously engineering the electrocatalysts, the researchers successfully designed a Co-P/Ni-Fe-P/NF electrode with excellent electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline medium. The electrode exhibited a low overpotential of 43.4 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and demonstrated long-term stability for 72 hours. This innovative work may contribute to further development of commercial electrocatalysts.